Solid state light sources may be utilized to provide colored (e.g., non-white) or white LED light (e.g., perceived as being white or near-white). White solid state emitters have been investigated as potential replacements for white incandescent lamps. A solid state lighting device may include, for example, at least one organic or inorganic light emitting diode (“LED”) or a laser. A solid state lighting device produces light by exciting electrons across the band gap between a conduction band and a valence band of a semiconductor active (light-emitting) layer, with the electron transition generating light at a wavelength that depends on the band gap. Thus, the color (wavelength) of the light emitted by a solid state emitter depends on the materials of the active layers thereof. Solid state light sources provide potential for very high efficiency relative to conventional incandescent or fluorescent sources, but solid state light sources present significant challenges in simultaneously achieving good efficacy, good color reproduction, and color stability (e.g., with respect to variations in operating temperature).
Color reproduction is typically measured using the Color Rendering Index (CRI Ra). CRI Ra is a modified average of the relative measurements of how the color rendition of an illumination system compares to that of a reference radiator when illuminating eight reference colors, i.e., it is a relative measure of the shift in surface color and brightness of an object when lit by a particular lamp. The CRI Ra equals 100 if the color coordinates and relative brightness of a set of test colors being illuminated by the illumination system are the same as the coordinates of the same test colors being irradiated by the reference radiator. Daylight has a high CRI (Ra of approximately 100), with incandescent bulbs also being relatively close (Ra greater than 95), and fluorescent lighting being less accurate (typical Ra of 70-80).
Aspects related to the present inventive subject matter can be represented on either the 1931 CIE (Commission International de I'Eclairage) Chromaticity Diagram or the 1976 CIE Chromaticity Diagram, both of which are well-known and readily available to those of ordinary skill in the art. The CIE Chromaticity Diagrams map out the human color perception in terms of two CIE parameters x and y (in the case of the 1931 diagram) or u′ and v′ (in the case of the 1976 diagram). The 1931 CIE Chromaticity Diagram is reproduced at FIG. 1, and the 1976 CIE Chromaticity Diagram (also known as (u′ v′) chromaticity diagram) is reproduced at FIG. 2. The spectral colors are distributed around the edge of the outlined space, which includes all of the hues perceived by the human eye. The boundary line represents maximum saturation for the spectral colors. The 1976 CIE Chromaticity Diagram is similar to the 1931 Diagram, except that the 1976 Diagram has been modified such that similar distances on the Diagram represent similar perceived differences in color.
Since similar distances on the 1976 Diagram represent similar perceived differences in color, deviation from a point on the 1976 Diagram can be expressed in terms of the coordinates, u′ and v′, e.g., distance from the point=(Δu′2+Δv′2)′1/2, and the hues defined by a locus of points which are each a common distance from a specified hue consist of hues which would each be perceived as differing from the specified hue to a common extent.
The chromaticity coordinates (i.e., color points) that lie along the blackbody locus obey Planck's equation: E(λ)=A λ−5/(eB/T−1), where E is the emission intensity, λ is the emission wavelength, T the color temperature of the blackbody and A and B are constants. Color coordinates that lie on or near the blackbody locus yield pleasing white light to a human observer. The 1931 CIE Diagram (FIG. 1) includes temperature listings along the blackbody locus (embodying a curved line emanating from the right corner). These temperature listings show the color path of a blackbody radiator that is caused to increase to such temperatures. As a heated object becomes incandescent, it first glows reddish, then yellowish, then white, and finally bluish. This occurs because the wavelength associated with the peak radiation of the blackbody radiator becomes progressively shorter with increased temperature, consistent with the Wien Displacement Law. Illuminants which produce light that is on or near the blackbody locus can thus be described in terms of their color temperature. As used herein, the term “white light” refers to light that is perceived as white, is within 7 MacAdam ellipses of the black body locus on a 1931 CIE chromaticity diagram, and has a CCT ranging from 2000 K to 10,000 K.
Illumination with a CRI Ra of less than 50 is very poor and only used in applications where there is no alternative for economic issues. Lights with a CRI Ra between 70 and 80 have application for general illumination where the colors of objects are not important. For some general interior illumination, a CRI Ra>80 is acceptable. A light with color coordinates within 4 MacAdam step ellipses of the Planckian locus and a CRI Ra>85 is more suitable for general illumination purposes. CRI Ra>90 is preferable and provides greater color quality.
Many methods are known for allowing a lighting device to be adjustable in color temperature, including using a variable combination of warm white and cool white light sources, using red, green and blue light sources. However, all these methods generally provide low to medium CRI Ra.
A representative example of a white LED lamp includes a package of a blue LED chip (e.g., made of InGaN and/or GaN), coated with a phosphor (typically YAG:Ce or BOSE). Blue LEDs made from InGaN exhibit high efficiency (e.g., external quantum efficiency as high as 70%). In a blue LED/yellow phosphor lamp, the blue LED chip produces an emission with a wavelength of about 450 nm, and the phosphor produces yellow fluorescence with a peak wavelength of about 550 nm upon receipt of the blue emission. Part of the blue ray emitted from the blue LED chip passes through the phosphor, while another portion of the blue ray is absorbed by the phosphor, which becomes excited and emits a yellow ray. The viewer perceives an emitted mixture of blue and yellow light (sometimes termed ‘blue shifted yellow’ or ‘BSY’ light) as white light. Such light is typically perceived as cool white in color. A BSY device typically exhibits good efficacy but only medium CRI Ra (e.g., between 60 and 75), or very good CRI Ra and low efficacy.
Various methods exist to enhance cool white light to increase its warmth. To promote warm white colors, an orange phosphor or a combination of a red phosphor (e.g., CaAlSiN3 (‘CASN’) based phosphor) and yellow phosphor (e.g., Ce:YAG or YAG:Ce) can be used in conjunction with a blue LED. Cool white emissions from a BSY element (including a blue emitter and yellow phosphor) may also be supplemented with both a red LED (e.g., comprising AlInGaP, having a chromatic wavelength of approximately 641 nm) and a cyan LED (e.g., comprising InGaN, having a chromatic wavelength of approximately 506 nm), such as disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 7,095,056 to Vitta, et al. (“Vitta”), to provide warmer light. While the arrangement disclosed in Vitta allows the correlated color temperature (CCT) to be changed, the CRI and the usefulness of the device reduces significantly at lower color temperatures, making this arrangement generally undesirable for indoor general illumination. Moreover, emitters of a device according to Vitta exhibit substantially different changes in intensity and/or chromaticity with respect to changes in device operating temperature, which may cause aggregate output of such a device to exhibit noticeable shifts in output color at different operating conditions.
As an alternative to stimulating a yellow phosphor with a blue LED, another method for generating white emissions involves combined use of red, green, and blue (“RGB”) light emitting diodes in a single package. The combined spectral output of the red, green, and blue emitters may be perceived by a user as white light. Each “pure color” red, green, and blue diode typically has a full-width half-maximum (FWHM) wavelength range of from about 15 nm to about 30 nm. Due to the narrow FWHM values of these LEDs (particularly the green and red LEDs), aggregate emissions from the red, green, and blue LEDs exhibit very low color rendering in general illumination applications.
Another example of a known white LED lamp includes one or more ultraviolet (UV)-based LEDs combined with red, green, and blue phosphors. Such lamps typically provide reasonably high color rendering, but exhibit low efficacy due to Stokes losses.
The art continues to seek improved solid state lighting devices that address one or more limitations inherent to conventional devices.